The presence of bubbles in the flow cytometer system is one of the primary sources of corrupted experimental data. Typical flow cytometers periodically experience bubbles in the sheath fluid or sample fluid lines. Bubbles may be introduced externally from leaks in the flow line or a depleted sheath container or sample, or they may be generated internally from the coalescence or nucleation of gases dissolved in the sheath and/or sample fluids. Bubbles can cause anomalies in the flow within the flow cytometer system that reduce the performance of the flow cytometer. Furthermore, bubbles passing through the interrogation zone of the flow cytometer can cause spurious or false event signals that corrupt the experimental data being collected. The user can take corrective action only after the bubbles have been detected, which often occurs after experimental data has been corrupted and the user has been inconvenienced.
Thus, there is a need for a flow cytometry system that allows corrective actions to be taken before the experimental data is corrupted and the user is inconvenienced. This invention provides such an improved and useful flow cytometry system having bubble detection capabilities and automated controls for mitigating the effects of bubbles in the interrogation zone.